Tri-surface image projection system and method

ABSTRACT

Digitally acquiring digital media content using a computer model simulation of a real venue in which the digital content is to be shown. Frontally projecting content from a virtual center of the simulated venue, the real venue having a frontal screen and two side screens. Digitally capturing the frontally projected digital media content from a view that a real frontal projector and two real side projectors would have in real life in order to “bake in” a warped transformation of the frontally projected digital media content. Projecting the warped, transformed frontally projected content through a frontal digital projector and two side digital projectors in the real venue, thus completing an illusion of a “cinematic window” of the digital media content in the real venue. Controlling the digital projectors using a digital server to feed the three digitally captured, warped media streams synchronously to the front, left and right digital projectors.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

None

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of digitalcinematography, and more specifically to digital motion picture captureand rendering, and digital motion picture presentation in theaters,homes, and other venues.

Background Art

The term “digital cinematography” refers to working with videography anddigital video. Digital imaging processing has made it possible toradically modify pictures from how they were originally captured. Acinematographer is responsible for the technical aspects of the images(lighting, lens choices, composition, exposure, filtration, filmselection), but works closely with the director to ensure that theartistic features are supporting the director's vision of the storybeing told, from pre-production to post-production. Cinematography has atemporal aspect, and it is more complex than photography in terms ofpersonnel management and logistical organization.

Digital cinema refers to the use of digital technology to distribute orproject motion pictures as opposed to the historical use of motionpicture film. A movie can be distributed via hard drives, the Internet,dedicated satellite links or optical disks such as DVDs and Blu-rayDiscs. Digital movies are projected using a digital projector instead ofa conventional film projector. In digital cinema, resolutions arerepresented by the horizontal pixel count, usually 2K (2048×1080 or 2.2megapixels) or 4K (4096×2160 or 8.8 megapixels). In addition to theequipment already found in a film-based movie theater a DCI-compliantdigital cinema screen requires a digital projector and a computer knownas a “server”, such as those available from Doremi Labs, Burbank, Calif.(USA). “DCI” refers to Digital Cinema Initiatives, a joint venture ofthe six major movie studios, which publishes a system specification fordigital cinema. The specification ensures that 2K content can play on 4Kprojectors and vica-versa. Smaller resolutions in one direction are alsosupported (the image gets automatically centered). While much of thespecification codifies work that had already been ongoing in the Societyof Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), the specification isimportant in establishing a content owner framework for the distributionand security of first-release motion picture content. See also theNational Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) Digital Cinema SystemRequirements, addressing the requirements of digital cinema systems fromthe operational needs of the exhibitor. Please note that digital cinemadiffers from HDTV for theatrical presentations, which may be referred toas Electronic Cinema Systems (E-Cinema).

Use of large viewing angle film formats having the capacity to recordand display images of far greater size and resolution than conventionalfilm systems, such as those known under the trade designation IMAX® andother large viewing angle formats, such as CINERAMA® with its concavepanoramic screen, and partial 360 degree domes known as IMAX Dome orOMNIMAX have improved greatly the audience viewing experience.

Of late, 3-dimensional of “3D” films and theaters have given the viewerthe ability to “see in 3D.” To create the illusion of depth, the IMAX 3Dprocess uses two separate camera lenses that represent the left andright eyes. The lenses are separated by a distance of 64 mm (2.5 in),the average distance between a human's eyes. Two separate rolls of filmare used to capture the images they produce. By projecting the two filmssuperimposed on the screen and using one of several available methods todirect only the correct image to each eye, viewers see a 3D image on a2D screen. One method is to use polarizer filters to oppositely polarizethe light used in projecting each image. The viewer wears glasses withpolarizing filters oriented to match the projector filters, so that thefilter over each eye blocks the light used to project the imagesintended for the other eye. In another method, the two projectionsrapidly alternate. While one image is being shown, the projection of itsmate is blocked. Each frame is shown more than once to increase the rateand suppress flicker. The viewer wears shutter glasses with liquidcrystal shutters that block or transmit light in sync with theprojectors, so each eye sees only the images meant for it. Several ofthe early films that had been produced in digital 3D for release inconventional theaters were also presented in IMAX 3D.

No current tools address the unique operational challenges of existingtheaters and other venues such as academic viewing rooms havingstandard, 2D flat screens or other viewing surfaces, such as walls. Oneidea may be to extending the viewable area of a traditional theater'sfront movie screen by introducing additional left and right canvases togainfully alter the movie-going experience; however, this also increasesthe complexity needed to create new content and retrofit pre-existingfilms. Therefore movie theater owners have opted, in order to present a3D viewing experience for such venues, either one of the methodsdescribed above (with the viewer wearing specially adapted glasses), orconstructing modified venues to allow curved or dome viewing surfaces(screens, walls, etc.). The former has not been totally successful for anumber of reasons (for example, people already wearing vision-correctingglasses), and the latter may not be feasible or even possible.Exhibitors such as theater owners may also wish to employ the walls oflobbies of the theater house for entertaining movie-goers waiting toenter the theater itself, or provide advertising space. Otherexhibitors, such as academic providers and companies (such as resourceexploration companies) may benefit from the 3D experience, but do notwish to expend funds building new venues or renovating old venues.

Having identified the above problems, it would be an advance in thecinematography art if methods, systems, and computer-readable media wereavailable to reduce or overcome some or all of the above problems seenin currently available cinematic methods and systems. More specifically,it would be an advance in the cinematography art if methods, systems,and computer-readable media were available to retrofit existing venuesso that viewers may enjoy the benefits of increased perspective, 3Dviewing of entertaining, educational, or business content. In sum, priorto the present disclosure, 3-D animations have been mapped onto singleplanar surfaces (i.e. a flat screen) or onto a continuously curvedscreen (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 8,442,764), but the trick is to dothis on an arrangement of three screens, where the two side screens areat angles to the main middle screen, such as would have to be the casein a cinema retrofit. U.S. Pat. No. 8,711,141 seems to disclose doingthe reverse (generating a 3-D image or animation from a 2-D image oranimation). No one has disclosed or taught how an animation or footage,originated or captured in 2D, 3D, or otherwise, may be processed to bakeit into a forced perspective planar image and projected in planar formatonto a tri-planar, tri-surface arrangement.

SUMMARY

In accordance with the present disclosure, methods, systems, andcomputer-readable media are described which reduce or overcome one ormore of the above problems.

A first aspect of the disclosure is a method comprising:

digitally acquiring at least visual digital media content;

using a computer model simulation of a real venue in which the digitalcontent is to be shown, frontally projecting the visual digital mediacontent from a virtual center of the simulated venue, the real venuehaving a real frontal screen and two real oppositely positioned sidescreens;

digitally capturing the frontally projected visual digital media contentfrom a point of view that a real frontal projector and each of two realoppositely positioned side projectors would have in real life in orderto “bake in” a warped transformation of the frontally projected visualdigital media content;

projecting the digitally captured, warped, transformed frontallyprojected visual digital media content through a real frontal digitalprojector and two real oppositely positioned side digital projectors inthe real venue, thus completing an illusion of a “cinematic window” ofthe visual digital media content in the real venue; and

controlling the projecting using at least one digital server to feed thethree digitally captured, warped media streams synchronously to thefront, left and right digital cinema projectors.

A second aspect of the disclosure is a system comprising:

one or more digital cameras or a digital computer using a gaming enginefor digitally originating (i.e., digitally acquiring) at least visualdigital media content;

a computer using a computer model simulation of a real venue in whichthe digital content is to be showed, the real venue having a realfrontal screen and two real oppositely positioned side screens, thecomputer model simulation virtually frontally projecting the visualdigital media content from a virtual center of the simulated venue;

the computer programmed to digitally capture the frontally projectedvisual digital media from points of view of a digital projectorprojecting onto the frontal screen and two oppositely positioned sideprojectors projecting onto the side screens would have in real life inorder to “bake in” a warped transformation of the frontally projectedvisual digital media;

a real frontal digital cinema projector and two real oppositelypositioned side digital cinema projectors in the real venue, the realdigital cinema projectors projecting the digitally captured, warped,transformed frontally projected visual digital media onto the realfrontal screen and the real left and a right screen adjacent the frontalscreen in the real theater that completes an illusion of a “cinematicwindow” of the visual digital media content in the real theater; and

at least one digital server to feed the three digitally captured, warpedmedia streams synchronously to the front, left and right digital cinemaprojectors.

A third aspect of the disclosure is a system comprising:

-   -   a) a cinematic structure comprising a rear wall, a front wall, a        floor, and left and right side walls;    -   b) a primary, forward projecting digital cinema projector        positioned adjacent the rear wall for producing a primary        digital image;    -   c) a primary reflecting screen upon which is projected the        primary digital image, the primary reflecting screen having a        left side edge and a right side edge;    -   d) at least one right side wall digital cinema projector for        projecting at least one left side digital image onto a left side        wall extension screen, the left side wall extension screen        positioned with one edge adjacent the left side edge of the        primary reflecting screen; and    -   e) at least one left side wall digital cinema projector for        projecting at least one right side digital image onto a right        side wall extension screen, the right side wall extension screen        positioned with one edge adjacent the right side edge of the        primary reflecting screen, wherein the left and right side        digital images are created using the system of the second aspect        and/or the system of the second aspect.

A fourth aspect of the disclosure is a method comprising:

-   -   a) providing a cinematic structure comprising a rear wall, a        front wall, a floor, and left and right side walls;    -   b) providing a primary reflecting screen on the front wall, the        primary reflecting screen having a left side edge and a right        side edge;    -   c) projecting a major portion of a primary digital image onto        the primary reflecting screen using a primary digital cinema        projector positioned adjacent the rear wall;    -   d) projecting a second digital image using a right side wall        digital cinema projector, the second digital image comprising a        forced perspective left side digital image extension of the        primary digital image projected onto a left side wall extension        screen, the latter positioned with one edge adjacent the left        side edge of the primary reflecting screen; and    -   e) projecting a third digital image using a left side wall        digital cinema projector, the third digital image comprising a        forced perspective right side digital image extension of the        primary digital image projected onto a right side wall extension        screen, the latter positioned with one edge adjacent the right        side edge of the primary reflecting screen;        wherein the forced perspective left and right side digital image        extensions are created using the method of the first aspect        and/or the system of the second aspect.

A fifth aspect of the disclosure is a system for mapping media includingat least one of 3-D animation, film, video, digital media or footageonto a tri-planar surface, the system comprising:

-   -   a) a structure comprising a primary light reflecting surface and        left and right extension light reflecting surfaces positioned in        abutting edge relationship to opposite vertical side edges of        the primary light reflecting surface, and positioned at        respective first and second angles to the primary light        reflecting surface, the first and second angles each being        greater than 90 degrees, thus forming a tri-planar surface;    -   b) a primary, forward projecting digital cinema projector        positioned to produce a primary digital image on the primary        light reflecting surface;    -   c) a right side digital cinema projector for projecting a left        side digital image onto the left extension surface light        reflecting screen; and    -   d) a left side digital cinema projector for projecting a right        side digital image onto the right extension surface light        reflecting screen;

wherein the primary light reflecting surface and left and rightextension light reflecting surfaces form the tri-planar surface uponwhich is mapped a 3-D animation or film footage produced by thecombination of images produced by the primary, forward projectingdigital cinema projector, the right side digital cinema projector, andthe left side digital cinema projector, and

wherein the primary, left and right side digital images are createdusing the system of the second aspect and/or the system of the secondaspect.

A sixth aspect of the disclosure is a method of mapping media includingat least one of 3-D animation, film, video, digital media or footageonto a tri-planar surface, the method comprising:

-   -   a) providing a structure comprising a primary light reflecting        surface and left and right extension light reflecting surfaces        positioned in abutting edge relationship to opposite vertical        side edges of the primary light reflecting surface, and        positioned at respective first and second angles to the primary        light reflecting surface, the first and second angles each being        greater than 90 degrees;    -   b) projecting a primary digital image on the primary light        reflecting surface using a primary, forward projecting digital        cinema projector;    -   c) projecting a second digital image onto the left extension        light reflecting surface using a right side digital cinema        projector; and    -   d) projecting a third digital image onto the right extension        light reflecting surface using a left side digital cinema        projector;

thereby mapping media selected from the group consisting of 3-Danimation, film, video, digital media, and footage produced by thecombination of images produced by the primary, forward projectingdigital cinema projector, the right side digital cinema projector, andthe left side digital cinema projector onto a tri-planar surface formedby the primary light reflecting surface and left and right extensionlight reflecting surfaces, and

wherein the primary, second and third digital images are produced usingthe method of the first aspect and/or the system of the second aspect.

A seventh aspect of the disclosure is a kit comprising:

-   -   a) a structure comprising a rear wall, a front wall, a floor,        and left and right side walls;    -   b) a primary, forward projecting digital cinema projector        positioned adjacent the rear wall for producing a primary        digital image;    -   c) a primary reflecting screen upon which is projected the        primary digital image, the primary reflecting screen having a        left side edge and a right side edge;    -   d) at least one right side wall digital cinema projector for        projecting a second digital images, the second digital image        projected onto a left side wall extension screen, the latter        positioned with one edge adjacent the left side edge of the        primary reflecting screen;    -   e) at least one left side wall digital cinema projector for        projecting a third digital image, the third digital image        projected onto a right side wall extension screen, the latter        positioned with one edge adjacent the right side edge of the        primary reflecting screen; and    -   f) at least one digital server to feed at least three separate        media streams synchronously to the front, left and right digital        cinema projectors.

An eight aspect of the disclosure is a kit for mapping at least one of3-D animation, film, video, digital media or footage onto a tri-planarsurface comprising:

-   -   a) a structure comprising a primary light reflecting screen and        left and right extension light reflecting screens positioned in        abutting edge relationship to opposite vertical side edges of        the primary light reflecting screen, and positioned at        respective first and second angles to the primary light        reflecting screen, the first and second angles each being        greater than 90 degrees, thus forming a tri-planar surface;    -   b) a primary, forward projecting digital cinema projector        positioned to produce a primary digital image on the primary        light reflecting screen;    -   c) a right side digital cinema projector for projecting a second        digital image onto the left extension screen light reflecting        screen; and    -   d) a left side digital cinema projector for projecting a third        digital image onto the right extension screen light reflecting        screen; and    -   e) at least one digital server to feed at least three separate        media streams synchronously to the front, left and right digital        cinema projectors;

wherein the primary light reflecting screen and left and right extensionlight reflecting screens form the tri-planar surface upon which ismapped at least one of 3-D animation, film, video, digital media orfootage produced by the combination of images produced by the primary,forward projecting digital cinema projector, the right side digitalcinema projector, and the left side digital cinema projector.

Other aspects of the disclosure are computer-readable media encoded withprocessing instructions for implementing the various methods with thesystems.

Methods, systems, kits, and computer-readable media of this disclosurewill become more apparent upon review of the brief description of thedrawings, the detailed description of the disclosure, and the claimsthat follow. It should be understood that wherever the term “comprising”is used herein, other embodiments where the term “comprising” issubstituted with “consisting essentially of” are explicitly disclosedherein. It should be further understood that wherever the term“comprising” is used herein, other embodiments where the term“comprising” is substituted with “consisting of” are explicitlydisclosed herein. Moreover, the use of negative limitations isspecifically contemplated; for example, certain systems, methods, kits,and computer-readable media may comprise a number of physical hardwareand software components and features, but may be devoid of certainoptional hardware and/or software and/or other features, such as one ormore sidewalls or roofs of structures. As another example, certainservers suitable for use herein may include software and hardwarecomponents pertinent to particular end uses, but may be devoid of othercomponents and/or software, depending on the wishes of the design,facility owner, or other end user. Computers and servers may, in certainembodiments, be devoid of any other use than for use in or with theaspects of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The manner in which the objectives of the disclosure and other desirablecharacteristics can be obtained is explained in the followingdescription and attached drawings in which:

FIGS. 1-15 are schematic views of how a standard flat screen theater maybe retrofitted in accordance with of the present disclosure;

FIGS. 16-17 are schematic diagrams of two system embodiments of thepresent disclosure; and

FIGS. 18 and 19A, 19B are logic diagrams of two method embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

It is to be noted, however, that the appended drawings are not to scaleand illustrate only typical embodiments of this disclosure, and aretherefore not to be considered limiting of its scope, for the disclosuremay admit to other equally effective embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, numerous details are set forth to providean understanding of the disclosed systems and methods. However, it willbe understood by those skilled in the art that the systems and methodscovered by the claims may be practiced without these details and thatnumerous variations or modifications from the specifically describedembodiments may be possible and are deemed within the claims. All U.S.published patent applications and U.S. patents referenced herein arehereby explicitly incorporated herein by reference. In the eventdefinitions of terms in the referenced patents and applications conflictwith how those terms are defined in the present application, thedefinitions for those terms that are provided in the present applicationshall be deemed controlling.

As explained briefly in the Background, no current tools address theunique operational challenges of existing theaters and other venues suchas academic viewing rooms having standard, 2D flat screens or otherviewing surfaces, such as walls. Solutions have included the viewerwearing special glasses, or the venue owner constructing modified venuesto allow curved or dome viewing surfaces (screens, walls, etc.). Itwould be an advance in the cinematography art if methods, systems, kits,and computer-readable media were available to reduce or overcome some orall of the above problems seen in currently available cinematic methodsand systems. More specifically, it would be an advance in thecinematography art if methods, systems, kits, and computer-readablemedia were available to retrofit existing venues so that viewers mayenjoy the benefits of increased perspective, 3D viewing of entertaining,educational, or business content.

Various terms are used throughout this disclosure. As used herein theterms “render” and “rendering” mean essentially mixing all componentsinto a final, single continuous clip that can be shared, edited,uploaded or archived. Rendering is generally synonymous with completing,saving, or exporting a file, and a colorful analogy might be “bakingyour cake”. The term “bake in” is similar but refers to adjusting animage or a clip with a non-reversible added element of the initialcapture of an image. For instance when baking shadows into an image,they will be set at an angle and when changing the position of the keylight or sun will not change the shadow angle—in other words, meaningthe shadows are baked in.

The term “digital media content” as used herein means simply contentgenerated using a programmed digital computer or one or more digitalcameras. The term “surface” includes screen, wall, roof, side of abuilding, ceiling, and portions of any of these.

The phrase “computer model simulation” as used herein means using anopen-source or other publicly available (for profit or not) version ofsoftware with a digital computer so that the computer will be modifiedto be able to animate or mimic lighting, projection in a virtual venue,or physical features of a venue. Several examples are provided in thefollowing paragraphs. One such software is known as CINEMA 4D® (fromMAXON Computer GmbH), which software allows 3D modeling, animation,rendering, post-production, interactive creation and playback. Thesoftware known as CINEMA 4D includes options for 3D unwrapping, shading,physics, dynamics and particles, real time 3D/game creation, and cameraprojection shading. Tools are also included for 2D and 3D proceduralbrushes, edge rendering, collision simulation, and the like. Many 2D and3D file formats are supported. Commercially available simulationsoftware packages include those known under the trade designationsAUTODESK MAYA™, a 3D computer graphics software that currently runs ondigital computer operating systems known under the trade designationsMICROSOFT® WINDOWS®, APPLE® OS X™, and LINUX®, originally developed byAlias Systems Corporation (formerly Alias|Wavefront) and currently ownedand developed by Autodesk, Inc. It is used to create interactive 3Dapplications, including video games, animated film, TV series, or visualeffects.

The game engine known under the trade designation CRYENGINE® is a gameengine designed by the German game developer Crytek GmbH. It has beenused in all of their titles with the initial version being used in thefirst-person shooter video game known as FAR CRY™, and continues to beupdated to support new consoles and hardware for their games. It hasalso been used for many third-party games under Crytek's licensingscheme, including SNIPER: GHOST WARRIOR 2™ and SNOW™. Ubisoft, Inc.maintains an in-house, heavily modified version of the game engine knownunder the trade designation CRYENGINE from the original FAR CRY™ calledthe DUNIA™ ENGINE, which is used in their later iterations of the FARCRY™ series.

The 3D modeling software known as 3DS MAX® provides a comprehensivemodeling, animation, simulation, and rendering solution for games, film,and motion graphics artists. The software known as 3DS MAX deliversefficient new tools, accelerated performance, and streamlined workflowsto help increase overall productivity for working with complex,high-resolution assets.

The game engine known under the trade designation UNREAL™ or THE UNREALENGINE™ is a game engine developed by Epic Games, Inc. first showcasedin the 1998 first-person shooter game UNREAL™. Although primarilydeveloped for first-person shooters, it has been successfully used in avariety of other genres, including stealth, MMORPGs, and other RPGs.With its code written in C++, the Unreal Engine features a high degreeof portability and is a tool used by many game developers today.

The software known as MODO® is a polygon and subdivision surfacemodeling, sculpting, 3D painting, animation and rendering packagedeveloped by Luxology, LLC, which is now merged with and known as TheFoundry Group, LLC. The program incorporates features such as n-gons andedge weighting, and currently runs on digital computer operating systemsknown under the trade designations MICROSOFT® WINDOWS®, APPLE® OS X™,and LINUX®.

The software known under the trade designation Unity® (from Unity IPRApS, Denmark) is a game development ecosystem, a rendering engine fullyintegrated with a complete set of intuitive tools and rapid workflows tocreate interactive 3D and 2D content, and allows multiplatformpublishing, allows use of thousands ready-made assets available form anonline store known as the ASSET STORE™, and a knowledge-sharingcommunity. The software currently runs on digital computer operatingsystems known under the trade designations MICROSOFT® WINDOWS®, APPLE®OS X™, and LINUX®.

The software known under the trade designation HOUDINI™ is a high-end 3Danimation application software developed by Side Effects Software, Inc.,of Toronto, Canada. Side Effects adapted HOUDINI™ from the PRISMS™ suiteof procedural generation software tools. Its exclusive attention toprocedural generation distinguishes it from other 3D computer graphicssoftware. The software known under the trade designation HOUDINI™ hasbeen used in various feature animation productions, including thefollowing: the DISNEY® feature films CHICKEN LITTLE™ and FROZEN™; thefilm RIO™, a Blue Sky Studios film; and the feature animation ANTBULLY™.

The software known under the trade designation NUKE™ is a node-baseddigital compositing software produced and distributed by The FoundryGroup, LLC, and used for film and television post-production. Thesoftware currently runs on digital computer operating systems knownunder the trade designations MICROSOFT® WINDOWS®, APPLE® OS X™, andLINUX®. The software's users include Digital Domain™, Walt Disney®Animation Studios, DREAMWORKS® Animation LLC, Sony™ PicturesImageworks™, Sony Pictures Animation, Framestore, Weta Digital andIndustrial Light & Magic. The software has been used on productions suchas AVATAR™, MR. NOBODY™, THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON™, KINGKONG™, JUMPER™, I, ROBOT™, RESIDENT EVIL: EXTINCTION™, TRON: LEGACY™,ALICE IN WONDERLAND™, BLACK SWAN and THE HOBBIT™.

The software known under the trade designations PHOTOSHOP® andILLUSTRATOR®, from Adobe Systems Inc. may be used. The softwarePHOTOSHOP has become the de facto industry standard in raster graphicsediting, such that the terms “photoshopping” and “photoshop contest”were born. It can edit and compose raster images in multiple layers andsupports masks, alpha compositing and several color models includingRGB, CMYK, L a b color space (with capital L), spot color and duotone.The software has vast support for graphic file formats but also uses itsown PSD and PSB file formats which support all the aforementionedfeatures. In addition to raster graphics, it has limited abilities toedit or render text, vector graphics (especially through clipping path),3D graphics and video. The software's feature set can be expanded byplug-ins, programs developed and distributed independently of AdobeSystems, Inc., that can run inside it and offer new or enhancedfeatures.

“Computer” as used herein includes, but is not limited to, devicesselected from the group consisting of a hand-held computer, a laptopcomputer, a desktop computer, and a tablet computer.

“Server” as used herein includes special electronic devices, similar toa computer, but more powerful and having DCI-specific hardware andsoftware features when the system or method is used in commercialtheaters. A DCI-compliant server may not be required in some venues, sothe term includes non-DCI-compliant servers. “DCI” refers to “DigitalCinema Initiative”, a standards setting group formed by major movieproduction houses.

Certain system embodiments of this disclosure may include wherein thefloor slopes downward from the rear wall to the front wall at an angleranging from 0 to about 30 degrees measured to horizontal. Certainsystem embodiments of this disclosure may include wherein the primary,the right side, and the left side digital cinema projectors eachtransmit an image at a resolution, represented by horizontal pixelcount, of at least 2K (2048×1080 or 2.2 megapixels), more preferably atleast 4K (4096×2160 or 8.8 megapixels). Certain system embodiments ofthis disclosure may include wherein each of the digital cinemaprojectors are selected form the group consisting of DLP and lasercinema projectors. Certain systems and methods of this disclosure maycomprise an auxiliary right side digital projector projecting anauxiliary digital image onto a left side auxiliary screen separated fromthe left side extension screen, and an auxiliary left side digitalprojector projecting a right side auxiliary digital image onto a rightside auxiliary screen separated from the right side extension screen.Certain method embodiments of this disclosure may include methodswherein the identifying of potential simultaneous operational conflictsusing a tabular output format displayed on a user interfaceelectronically connected to the computer comprises a user using awireless connection between the user interface and the computer. (Asused herein the phrase “electronically connected” means either wireless,wired, or both.) Certain embodiments of this disclosure may includesystems and methods wherein the server computer supports JPEG2000 andMPEG2 files, and dual-projector 3D playback. Certain embodiments of thisdisclosure may include systems and methods wherein the primary lightreflecting surface and left and right extension light reflectingsurfaces are rectangular. Certain embodiments of this disclosure mayinclude systems and methods wherein at least one of the surfaces is alight reflecting screen. Certain embodiments of this disclosure mayinclude systems and methods wherein at least one of the surfaces is awall, for example, but not limited to, a wall of a movie theater orlobby of a movie theater. Certain embodiments of this disclosure mayinclude systems and methods wherein the primary light reflecting surfaceand left and right extension light reflecting surfaces are rectangular.Certain method embodiments of this disclosure may include methodswherein the computer is selected from the group consisting of ahand-held computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, and a tabletcomputer.

In the specific context of the present disclosure, certain methods andcomputer-readable media (referred to alternatively as “software” herein)of the present disclosure may be referred to as TRAPPERVISION™, althoughthis disclosure is explicitly not so limited. The software currentlyknown under the trade designation TRAPPERVISION™ was developed to meetcertain unique needs of retrofitting existing movie theaters and othervenues where the owners wish to work within the existing venuestructure. In certain embodiments, the software may comprise featuressimilar to those described above with reference to software commerciallyavailable discussed herein. To facilitate ease of use getting data inand out to conform with perceived perspective using software embodimentssuch as that known under the trade designation TRAPPERVISION™, aback-end system, such as the software and hardware known under the tradedesignation PANDORAS BOX SERVER, from COOLUX® Media Systems GmbH, may beemployed. This back-end software and hardware provides a turnkeysolution that perfectly unites state of the art rendering technologywith intuitive media and show control, and provides a high-qualityserver featuring the most powerful render-engine, offering real-timecompositing in 3D and allows for projection onto any shape and anysurface. The systems allow arranging videos and images freely, changingcolor, form and position, and synchronize all video and audio sources,and allows on-site 3D rendering, composition and editing for any liveevent or multi-media show. Another back-end system, such as the softwareand hardware known under the trade designation GREEN HIPPO™ (from GreenHippo, London, England) may be used to provide high resolution,multi-screen, multi-server displays. However, high-resolution mediaencoding, due to the substantial size of the source media, is a majortask for any server to undertake, especially when programming a showwhilst encoding simultaneously.

As used herein the phrase “Digital Cinema Package” (DCP) is a collectionof digital files used to store and convey digital cinema (DC) audio,image, and data streams. The term has been defined by Digital CinemaInitiatives, LLC in their recommendations for packaging of DC contents.General practice adopts a file structure that is organized into a numberof usually multi-gigabyte size Material eXchange Format (MXF) files,which are separately used to store audio and video streams, andauxiliary index files in XML format. The MXF track files contain imageand audio essence that are compressed and encoded in order to reduce thehuge amount of required storage. Encryption is an optional solution andis used to protect from unauthorized use. The image track file containscompressed JPEG 2000 essence and the audio is a wrapped 24 bit linearPCM multichannel WAV file. The adopted (optional) encryption standard isAES 128 bit in CBC mode. The newer SMPTE (Society of Motion Picture &Television Engineers) standards are used to conform the recommendationsamong different tool vendors and producers. Legacy DCP standard, MXF andDPX, file to the software known under the trade designationTRAPPERVISION™.

Specific non-limiting system, method, kit, and computer-readable mediaembodiments in accordance with the present disclosure will now bepresented in conjunction with FIGS. 1-18 and FIGS. 19A and 19B. The samenumerals are used for the same or similar features in the variousfigures. In the views illustrated in FIGS. 1-17 it will be understood ineach case that the figures are schematic in nature, and certainconventional features are not illustrated in order to illustrate moreclearly the key features of each embodiment.

Example 1 Extending the Viewable Area of a Traditional Theater's FrontMovie Screen

As noted previously, extending the viewable area of a traditionaltheater's front movie screen by introducing additional left and rightcanvases not only gainfully alters the movie-going experience, but alsoincreases the complexity needed to create new content and retrofitpre-existing films. An extended tri-screen canvas increases a viewer'simmersion by engaging the viewer's peripheral vision. While othervarious approaches have achieved a level of this, notably the systemknown as IMAX® (Imax Corporation, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada) with itslarge screen, and CINERAMA® (Cinerama, Inc., Los Angeles, Calif.) withits concave panoramic screen, our approach in this embodiment isuniquely designed to be retrofitted into existing traditional theatersand similar venues thus negating the need for specialized build-outs andallowing for venue owners to capitalize further on their existingspaces.

Once the additional screens and projectors have been setup to extend thecanvas, several steps need to be taken at the content creation level(sometimes referred to herein as “origination”) in order to create theillusion of one continuous viewing angle. Full immersion for the viewercomes not when separate content for the side screens is shownsimultaneously as the front screen, but when the side screens' contentis altered using a method to force the perspective aiming it at theaudience's point of view.

How this is achieved is now explained using FIGS. 1-14. In mosttraditional theaters (FIG. 1, at least circa September 2014), both theaudience and the projectors face the screen perpendicularly, essentiallysharing the same point of view. The side screen projectors are aimedperpendicularly to the left and right screens respectively. Since theyare viewed from the seating area at a much steeper angle, the sidecontent must be skewed to accommodate a viewing angle that would seem tothe viewer to be a continuation of the front screen.

While the treatment for content originally generated for tri-screendiffers slightly than content needing retrofitting, the concept is thesame. Rather than seeing the screens as a left, front, and right screen,a fully immersive experience would allow them to be viewed as windowslooking out into the cinematic world, as if the viewers are focusingbeyond the screens. To do this, the content needs to be created orcaptured (originated) with a much wider viewing angle than bytraditional origination means.

Step 1: During acquisition of 3D animation and film footage, content isacquired by shooting or rendering using one of the followingembodiments, illustrated schematically in the enumerated FIGS. 2-4:

-   -   a) single spherical lens (FIG. 2);    -   b) single ultra-wide and high-resolution (minimum 8 k) digital        camera (FIG. 3); or    -   c) three individual digital cameras (FIG. 4).

When shooting or rendering with three individual (real or virtual)cameras as in the embodiment illustrated schematically in FIG. 4, thecameras must be arranged in such a way that a single shared focal pointis achieved behind the individual focal points of the respectivecameras. The lens angles must be the same on all three cameras and withminimal overlap of the footage. (In these embodiments, to generate mediawith three individual cameras, one would go directly to Step 4.) Thefocal point of shooting or rendering as described in Step 1a) to 1c)represents the center of the theater.

Step 2: In certain embodiments using the techniques of either Step 1a or1b, the footage, digital media, or renderings of the spherical lens (seeFIG. 5) or the single ultra-wide high-resolution digital camera lens(see FIG. 6) are then fed into a 3D computer model simulation of thethree screens (see FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively). Using the computermodel simulation, the footage, digital media, or renderings of thespherical lens or the single ultra-wide high-resolution digital cameralens is projected onto the same surface as it was acquired inoriginally. In other words, the footage, digital media, or renderings ofthe spherical lens (FIG. 5) is projected onto a virtual spherical screen(FIG. 7), or the footage, digital media, or renderings of the singleultra-wide high-resolution digital camera lens (FIG. 6) is projectedonto a virtual wide frame (FIG. 8).

Step 3: Using the same virtual three-camera rig as described in Step 1:Three individual cameras. When generating or rendering content withthree individual cameras, the cameras must be arranged in such a waythat a single shared focal point is achieved behind the individual focalpoints of the respective cameras. The lens angles must be the same onall three cameras and with minimal overlap of the footage. The result ofSteps 1c and 3 will appear as illustrated in FIG. 9.

Step 4: The three individual media pieces, Left/Center/Right are thenfed into a 3D computer simulation, modeled with three screen places asthey would be in a movie theater (referring to FIG. 10). A render orperspective position to place the three cameras will be in the center ofthe virtual theater and moved backwards or forwards virtually to matchthe best viewing position, or to accommodate the viewing angles toaccommodate the footage or rendering angles.

Step 5: As illustrated schematically in FIG. 11, the digital media isthen virtually “projected” from the center of the theater onto theirrespective virtual screens. A virtual left projector (positioned to theright of the center or frontal screen) projects onto the virtual leftscreen, and a virtual right projector (positioned to the left of thecenter or frontal screen) projects onto the virtual right screen,respectively. This will project or “texture” the virtual media onto thevirtual screens with the proper perspective from the middle of thetheater's vantage or best viewing position. Much like how a slideprojector works in the real world, the virtual media is virtuallyprojected from the virtual center of the virtual 3D theater's seats fromthe front, left, and right virtual projectors onto the geometry of thethree virtual screens. This electronically “bakes” or “burns” the forcedperspective onto the virtual side screens. Referring to FIG. 12, we thencapture the forced perspective images that were electronically “baked”or “burned” onto the virtual side screens. To perform the capture, wethen render the “baked” forced perspective using virtual cameras placedperpendicular to the screens, duplicating the projector placement in theactual theater in the real world facing the screens. This 3D virtualfrontal projection and capture warps and distorts the content on theside screens, resulting in forced perspective on left and right screens.

When playing back (“projecting”) the forced perspective virtual contentfrom actual, real world perpendicular projectors in the theater, theperspective would be corrected when viewed from in the theater, asillustrated in FIG. 13. In other words, it will now appear as one largeextended panoramic image.

The methods of the present disclosure differ greatly from prior artmethods of recording the media and frontally projecting each screen withtheir own projectors, as in FIG. 14, top. Seen from the center of thetheater, the prior art approach (FIG. 14, top) is the equivalent ofcorner pinning the outer most edges of the media to fill the screencanvas, and fails to maintain the illusion of a “window” to thecinematic world and the content will seem to be foreshortened whenviewed from an angle The images in FIG. 14 illustrate the discrepancybetween the two methods, with the top image illustrating schematicallythe result of the prior art methods, and the lower image in FIG. 14illustrating the result of the methods of the present disclosure.

After digital acquisition of the digital media using the computer modelsimulation of the existing theater, frontally projecting the digitalmedia from the virtual center of the simulated theater is the firststep. The second essential step is to digitally capture this projectionfrom the point of view that each side projector would have in real lifein order to “bake in” the warped transformation. It is this baked inmedia, that when projected back out through the actual side projectorsin the real theater that will complete the illusion of the “cinematicwindow”. In sum, for this Example, there are a minimum of three steps:the first step is to originate the three angles (importantly, theorigination (pre-warped media of any type, whether content created bycomputer with a gaming engine or created with one or more digitalcameras) is not limited to 3D); the second step is to virtuallyre-project the first render from the center of the virtual theater; andthe third step is to digitally capture the warped side screens(post-warped media). In other words, we process the pre-warped media tobake it into a forced perspective planar image, so by the time thepost-warped content is projected onto a tri-planar surface it's allplanar.

Example 2 Showing how the Perspective of the Planar Images Needs to beWarped

A typical case may be exemplified by a designer wishing to split anexisting 2D wide image (5000 px wide) across three screens, (a centerscreen and two side screens adjacent the center screen, and on sidewalls of a theater) so that perspective is pre-corrected in the image.

Using prior art methods, a designer might keep the center (cropped to2051 px) portion unchanged, and attempt to “warp” the outer edges simplyby creating a trapezoidal 2D shape on each side (similar to FIG. 14, topview). In this attempt, the active area of the center and particularlythe outer side of the edge screens would be appreciated. If the designerpresumes the image is 858 px tall natively (which results in a ˜2.39:1aspect for the center screen), and that the inner seam of the edgescreens matches this vertical dimension of 858 px, the designer wishesto know what would the outer edge vertical dimension (in pixels or “px”)of each trapezoid of the side screens be?

In this example, the designer's picture has perspective and lensdistortion baked in already, so it's what the viewer will experience.The only distortion necessary is slight expansion of the horizontalwidth to counter the elongation you will get from an acute viewingangle. So the outer vertical height dimension of the center screen willremain 858 px, but the horizontal width would be expanded to on the sidescreens to accommodate this. The exact amount, usually about 15%, isdetermined by a computer model (as illustrated in FIG. 14) to projectand render the right amount of distortion. This is dependent on theangles α and β of the actual screens in the real world (angles α and βare discussed herein in reference to FIGS. 16 and 17).

Stated differently, in this Example the designer wishes to take anexisting 5000×858 image and transform the sides (using a prior arttechnique, such as available on the software known as PHOTOSHOP®) tomatch the shape of an original warped image produced using the methodsof the present invention. To do this using prior art methods, the outersides would then need to increase vertically to 1354 pixels. However,simply warping the side screens using the PHOTOSHOP® software willproduce a different effect (FIG. 14, top) for the end viewer than the 3Dfrontal mapping technique of the present disclosure, (FIG. 14, bottom).

Example 3 Use of Multiple Side Projectors and Auxiliary Side Screens

In certain systems and methods of the present disclosure, a theater orother venue owner may wish to display forced perspective content onthree adjoining surfaces (center, left and right), but may wish todisplay on “auxiliary” surfaces or screens on the side walls of theater,theater lobby, or other structure, or other stand-alone screens, forexample at a trade show. The auxiliary screens are separated from the“side extension” screens. In other words, an arrangement of 5 (or more)screens and digital cinema projectors as illustrated in FIG. 15.

FIGS. 16 and 17 are schematic diagrams of two system embodiments 100 and200 of the present disclosure. Embodiment 100, illustrated schematicallyin FIG. 16, includes a front or central screen 102, having a left sideedge adjacent an abutting side edge of a left side screen 104, and aright side edge adjacent an abutting side edge of a right side screen106. A primary digital cinema camera 108 projects images onto frontscreen 102, a right side digital cinema projector 106 projects baked,forced perspective images onto left side screen 104, and a left sidedigital cinema projector 110, projects baked, forced perspective imagesonto right side screen 106. System embodiment 100 further includes atleast one digital camera 120, a computer 122 that performs thesimulation of the real screens 102, 104, 106 and bakes the forceperspective, and a server 124 for controlling the projection of thebaked, forced perspective images. (It should be noted that the“brackets” in FIGS. 16 and 17 are for meeting patent drawingrequirements only; origination of content using at least one digitalcamera 120 and/or a computer gaming engine (not shown), and computer 122that performs the simulation, need not be, and typically are notphysically located in the same building as screens and digital cinemaprojectors, although this is not ruled out, and may be preferred incertain embodiments.) Optional auxiliary screens 126, 128 may beprovided, depending on the content to be shown, the desires of theoperator or end users, and the like. More than one auxiliary screen perside may be provided. Screens 104, 106 need not be the same height orextend the same distance from screen 102, or even make the same anglewith screen 102, but preferably screens 104, 106 are of equal dimensionsand are angled at the same angle away from screen 102, that is, angles αand β are preferably substantially the same. Angles α and β may rangefrom about 90 to about 175 degrees, more preferably from about 90 toabout 125 degrees, or from about 100 to about 125 degrees. All rangesfrom about 90 to about 175 degrees are considered disclosed within thisdisclosure, and “about” means plus or minus 5 degrees from any lower orupper range terminus; for example from about 91 to about 121 degrees, orfrom 85 to 180 degrees. Alternatively, angles α and β may range from 90to 175 degrees, more preferably from 90 to 125 degrees, or from 100 to125 degrees. All ranges from 90 to 175 degrees are considered disclosedwithin this disclosure, for example, from 93 to 171 degrees.

FIG. 17 is a schematic diagram, with some portions broken away, ofembodiment 200. Embodiment 200 illustrated schematically in FIG. 17 issimilar to embodiment 100, except it includes structural elements asmight be found in a theater retrofit with a system of this disclosure,for example a front wall 130, rear wall 132, left side wall 134, rightside wall 136, floor 138, and roof 140, all connected to form a viewingroom or cinema room. Seating is not illustrated.

FIGS. 18 and 19A and 19B are logic diagrams of two non-limiting methodembodiments 500 and 600 in accordance with the present disclosure.Method embodiment 500 comprises digitally acquiring at least visualdigital media content, Box 502; using a computer model simulation of areal venue in which the digital content is to be shown, frontallyprojecting the visual digital media content from a virtual center of thesimulated venue, the real venue having a real frontal screen and tworeal oppositely positioned side screens, Box 504; digitally capturingthe frontally projected visual digital media content from a point ofview that a real frontal projector and each of two real oppositelypositioned side projectors would have in real life in order to “bake in”a warped transformation of the frontally projected visual digital mediacontent, Box 506; projecting the digitally captured, warped, transformedfrontally projected visual digital media content through a real frontaldigital projector and two real oppositely positioned side digitalprojectors in the real venue, thus completing an illusion of a“cinematic window” of the visual digital media content in the realvenue, Box 508; and controlling the projecting using at least onedigital server to feed the three digitally captured, warped mediastreams synchronously to the front, left and right digital cinemaprojectors, Box 510.

Method embodiment 600, illustrated in FIGS. 19A and 19B, comprises 1)digitally acquiring at least visual digital media content comprisesacquiring 3D animation or film footage of three individual digital mediapieces corresponding to the real frontal screen and two real oppositelypositioned side screens of the real venue by shooting or rendering usingcinematic components selected from the group consisting of:

-   -   (a) a single spherical lens (FIG. 2);    -   (b) a single ultra-wide and high-resolution (minimum 8 k)        digital camera (FIG. 3); and    -   (c) three individual digital cameras (FIG. 4),    -   such that a focal point of the shooting or rendering as        described in (a), (b), and (c) represents a center of the        virtual venue, with the provisos that when shooting or rendering        with three individual digital cameras, the digital cameras are        arranged in such a way that a single shared focal point is        achieved behind the individual focal points of the respective        digital cameras, the lens angles are substantially the same on        all three digital cameras and with minimal overlap of the        footage, and steps 2 and 3 are skipped, Box 602;    -   2) using the techniques of either Step 1(a) or 1(b), feeding        into the computer model simulation of the three real screens the        footage, digital media, or renderings of the spherical lens or        the single ultra-wide high-resolution digital camera, and then        using the computer model simulation of the simulated venue,        projecting the footage, digital media, or renderings of the        spherical lens or the single ultra-wide high-resolution digital        camera from the virtual center of the simulated venue onto a        virtual spherical screen or a virtual wide frame, Box 604;    -   3) using the virtual three-camera rig as described in Step 1,        arranging the three cameras, during generating or rendering        content with the three individual cameras, in such a way that a        single shared focal point is achieved behind the individual        focal points of the three cameras, with the lens angles the same        on all three cameras and with minimal overlap of the footage,        Box 606;    -   4) feeding the three individual digital media pieces into a 3D        computer simulation, modeled with the three virtual screens        positioned as they would be in the real venue, wherein a render        or perspective position to place the three cameras will be in        the center of the simulated venue and moved backwards or        forwards virtually to match the best viewing position, or to        accommodate the viewing angles to accommodate the footage or        rendering angles, Box 608;    -   5) creating a 3D virtual frontal projection by virtually        “projecting” the three individual digital media pieces from the        center of the simulated theater onto their respective virtual        screens, warping and distorting the content on the virtual left        and right side screens, resulting in forced perspective on the        virtual left and right screens, a virtual left camera on the        virtual left screen, and a virtual right camera on the virtual        right screen, respectively, projecting or texturing the virtual        media onto the respective virtual screens with the proper        perspective from the middle of the theater's vantage or best        viewing position, the three individual digital media pieces        being virtually projected from the virtual center of the virtual        venue's seats to the front, left, and right virtual projectors        on to the geometry of the three virtual screens, electronically        “baking” or “burning” the forced perspective images onto the        virtual left and right side screens, Box 610;    -   6) capturing the forced perspective images that were        electronically “baked” or “burned” onto the virtual left and        right side screens by rendering the “baked” forced perspective        images using virtual cameras placed perpendicular to the virtual        left and right side screens, duplicating the projector placement        in an actual venue in the real world facing real screens in the        real venue, Box 612; and    -   7) optionally playing back (“projecting”) the forced perspective        virtual content from actual, real world perpendicular projectors        in the real venue, the perspective being corrected when viewing        the content from in the real venue, resulting in warped,        distorted content on the left and right real side screens, Box        614.

Other equipment that might be useful in systems, kits, methods, andcomputer-readable media of the present disclosure include the mediablock known under the trade designation QUBE XI™ Integrated Media Block(IMB), from Qube Cinema; CINESTORE SOLO G3™ digital cinema server,available from Barco, Inc. Rancho Cordova, Calif., and other serverscurrently able to run digital computer operating systems known under thetrade designations MICROSOFT® WINDOWS®, APPLE® OS X™, and LINUX®.

Digital Cinema Projectors

At present, only four manufacturers make DCI-approved digital cinemaprojectors; these are Sony, Barco, Christie Digital Systems (Christie),and NEC. Except for Sony, who use their own SXRD® technology, all usethe Digital Light Processing technology developed by Texas Instruments(TI). Although D-Cinema projectors are similar in principle to digitalprojectors used in industry, education and domestic “home cinemas” theydiffer in two important respects: firstly they must conform to thestrict performance requirements of the DCI specification, secondly theymust incorporate anti-piracy devices intended to protect the contentcopyright. For these reasons all projectors intended to be sold totheaters for screening current release movies must be approved by theDCI before being put on sale. They now pass through a process called CTP(Compliance Test Plan). Because feature films in digital form areencrypted and the decryption keys (KDM'S) are locked to the serialnumber of the server used (linking to both the projector serial numberand server is planned in the future) a system will only allow playbackof a protected feature with the required KDM. Without the KDM noplayback is possible.

DLP® Cinema Projectors

Three manufacturers have licensed the DLP® cinema technology developedby TI: Christie, Barco, and NEC. DCI-compliant DLP projectors areavailable in 2K and, as of 2012, 4K, when TI's DLP chip went into fullproduction. Manufacturers of DLP-based cinema projectors can now alsooffer 4K upgrades to some of the more recent 2K models. Early DLP CinemaProjectors used limited 1280×1024 resolution or the equivalent of 1.3 MP(megapixels). 2K digital projectors may be used for pre-showadvertising, or in lobbies of movie theaters, but are not preferred forfeature presentations.

TI's technology is based on the use of Digital Micromirror Devices(DMDs). These devices are manufactured from silicon using similartechnology to that of computer memory chips. The surface of thesedevices is covered by a very large number of microscopic mirrors, onefor each pixel, so a 2K device has about 2.2 million mirrors and a 4Kdevice about 8.8 million. Each mirror vibrates several thousand times asecond between two positions: in one position, light from theprojector's lamp is reflected toward the screen, in the other positionlight from the projector's lamp is reflected away from it. Theproportion of the time the mirror is in each position varies accordingto the required brightness of each pixel. Three DMD devices are used,one for each of the primary colors. Light from the lamp, usually a Xenonsimilar to those used in turn projectors with a power between 1 kW and 7kW, is split by colored filters into red, green and blue beams which aredirected at the appropriate DMD. The “forward” reflected beam from thethree DMDs is then re-combined and focused by the lens onto the cinemascreen.

Sony® SXRD® Projectors

Alone amongst the manufacturers of DCI-compliant cinema projectors Sonydecided to develop its own technology rather than use TI's DLP®technology. As of 2014, SXRD® projectors have only ever beenmanufactured in 4K form and, until the launch of the 4K DLP® chip by TI,Sony SXRD® projectors were the only 4K DCI-compatible projectors on themarket. Unlike DLP® projectors, however, SXRD® projectors do not presentthe left and right eye images of stereoscopic movies sequentially butuse half the available area on the SXRD® chip for each eye image. Thusduring stereoscopic presentations the SXRD® projector functions as a sub2K projector, the same for HER 3D Content.

The initial costs for converting theaters to digital are presently quitehigh: $100,000 per screen, on average. Theaters have been reluctant toswitch without a cost-sharing arrangement with film distributors. Acurrently used solution is a temporary Virtual Print Fee system, wherethe distributor (who saves the money of producing and transporting afilm print) pays a fee per copy to help finance the digital systems ofthe theaters.

A theater can purchase a film projector for less than $20,000 (thoughprojectors intended for commercial cinemas cost two to three times that;to which must be to be added the cost of a long-play system, which alsocosts around $10,000, from which they could expect an average life of30-40 years. By contrast, a digital cinema playback system includingserver, media block, and a single projector can cost two to three timesas much, and may have a greater risk of component failure andobsolescence. The expense of digital image capture is not necessarilyless than the capture of images onto film; indeed, it is sometimesgreater.

Those having ordinary skill in this art will appreciate, after havingread the present disclosure, that there are many possible variations ofthe methods, systems, and computer-readable media of the presentdisclosure, and will be able to devise alternatives and improvements tothose described herein that are nevertheless considered to be within theclaims of the present patent.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: digitally acquiring at leastvisual digital media content; creating a simulated venue using acomputer model simulation of a real venue in which the digital contentis to be shown, and frontally projecting the visual digital mediacontent from a virtual center of the simulated venue onto a virtualfrontal screen, a virtual left side screen, and a virtual right sidescreen, thereby electronically baking forced perspective images onto thevirtual side screens; digitally capturing, using virtual frontal,virtual left side and virtual right side cameras, the electronicallybaked forced perspective images of the frontally projected visualdigital media content from a point of view that a real frontal digitalcinema projector and each of two real oppositely positioned side digitalcinema projectors would have in the real venue; projecting the digitallycaptured, electronically baked forced perspective images of thefrontally projected visual digital media content through the realfrontal digital cinema projector and the two real oppositely positionedside digital cinema projectors in the real venue, thus completing anillusion of a cinematic window of the visual digital media content inthe real venue; and synchronizing the projecting using at least onedigital server.
 2. A method comprising: 1) digitally acquiring at leastvisual digital media content by shooting actual film footage usingactual cinematic components or rendering virtual images using virtualcinematic components, the actual or virtual cinematic componentsselected from the group consisting of: (a) a single camera with a singlespherical lens; (b) a single ultra-wide and high-resolution (minimum 8k) digital camera; and (c) three individual digital cameras, such that afocal point of the selected cinematic components represents a virtualcenter of a simulated venue created using a computer model simulation ofa real venue having a real frontal screen, a real left side screen, anda real right side screen; 2) if the cinematic components of either Step1(a) or 1(b) are selected, feeding into the computer model simulation ofthe real venue the actual film footage or rendered virtual imagesproduced by the single spherical lens or the single ultra-widehigh-resolution digital camera, and then using the computer modelsimulation of the real venue, projecting the actual film footage orrendered virtual images produced by the single spherical lens or thesingle ultra-wide high-resolution digital camera from the virtual centerof the simulated venue onto a virtual spherical screen or a virtual wideframe screen, thus creating the digital media corresponding to the realfrontal screen and the real left and real right side screens of the realvenue; 3) if the cinematic components of Step 1(c) are selected,arranging the three individual digital cameras in such a way that asingle shared focal point is achieved behind individual focal points ofthe three individual digital cameras, with lens angles the same on allthree individual digital cameras and with minimal overlap of digitalmedia footage from the three individual digital cameras, thus creatingthe digital media corresponding to the real frontal screen, the realleft side screen, and the real right side screen of the real venue; 4)feeding the digital media corresponding to the real frontal screen, thereal left side screen, and the real right side screen of the real venueinto the computer model simulation, modeled with a virtual frontalscreen, a virtual left side screen, and a virtual right side screen,wherein a render or perspective position to place a real frontalprojector, a real left side projector, and a real right side projectorwill be in the virtual center of the simulated venue and moved backwardsor forwards virtually to match a selected viewing position, or toaccommodate viewing angles to accommodate footage or rendering angles;5) creating a 3D virtual frontal projection using the computer modelsimulation by virtually “projecting” the digital media corresponding tothe real frontal screen, the real left side screen, and the real rightside screen of the real venue from the virtual center of the simulatedvenue onto the virtual frontal screen, the virtual left side screen, andthe virtual right side screen, thus warping and distorting content onthe virtual left side and virtual right side screens, resulting inforced perspective images on the virtual left side and virtual rightside screens, the digital media corresponding to the real frontal screenand the real left and right side screens of the real venue beingvirtually projected from the virtual center of the virtual venue's seatsfrom front, left, and right virtual projectors on to the geometry ofrespective virtual screens, thus electronically baking or burning theforced perspective images onto the virtual left side and virtual rightside screens; 6) capturing the forced perspective images that wereelectronically baked or burned onto the virtual left side and virtualright side screens by rendering the baked forced perspective imagesusing left and right virtual cameras placed perpendicular to the virtualleft side and virtual right side screens, the left and right virtualcameras placed in virtual positions duplicating real left and rightprojector positions in the real venue facing the real screens; and 7)optionally playing back or projecting the captured, baked or burnedforced perspective images from actual, real world projectors placedperpendicular to the real left side and real right side screens in thereal venue, the perspective being corrected when viewing the content inthe real venue, resulting in the forced perspective images beingdisplayed on the left and right real side screens.
 3. A systemcomprising: one or more digital cameras or a digital computer using agaming engine for digitally originating at least visual digital mediacontent; the digital computer or a separate computer using a computermodel simulation of a real venue in which the digital content is to beshowed, the real venue having a real frontal screen, a real left sidescreen, and a real right side screen, the computer model simulationconfigured to virtually frontally project, using virtual projectors, thevisual digital media content from a virtual center of the simulatedvenue onto a virtual frontal screen, a virtual left side screen, and avirtual right side screen, and electronically bake forced perspectiveimages onto the virtual side screens; the digital computer or a separatecomputer programmed to digitally capture, using virtual frontal, virtualleft side and virtual right side cameras, the electronically bakedforced perspective images of the frontally projected visual digitalmedia content from points of view of a real digital projector projectingonto the frontal screen and two oppositely positioned real sideprojectors projecting onto the real left and right side screens wouldhave in the real venue; a real frontal digital cinema projector, a realright side digital cinema projectors, and a real left side digitalcinema projector in the real venue, the real digital cinema projectorsprojecting the digitally captured, electronically baked forcedperspective images onto the real frontal screen, the real left sidescreen, and the real right side screen adjacent the real frontal screenin the real venue that completes an illusion of a cinematic window ofthe visual digital media content in the real venue; and at least onedigital server configured to synchronize the frontal, left side andright side digital cinema projectors.
 4. A system comprising: a) acinematic structure comprising a rear wall, a front wall, a floor, andleft and right side walls; b) a primary, forward projecting digitalcinema projector positioned adjacent the rear wall for producing aprimary digital image; c) a primary reflecting screen upon which isprojected the primary digital image, the primary reflecting screenhaving a left side edge and a right side edge; d) at least one rightside wall digital cinema projector for projecting at least one left sidedigital image onto a left side wall extension screen, the left side wallextension screen positioned with one edge adjacent the left side edge ofthe primary reflecting screen; e) at least one left side wall digitalcinema projector for projecting at least one right side digital imageonto a right side wall extension screen, the right side wall extensionscreen positioned with one edge adjacent the right side edge of theprimary reflecting screen, wherein the left and right side digitalimages are created using a sub-system comprising a computer using acomputer model simulation of the cinematic structure and screens, thecomputer model simulation configured to virtually frontally projectvisual digital media content from a virtual center of the simulatedcinematic structure onto a virtual frontal screen, a virtual left sidescreen, and a virtual right side screen, the virtual screens modeled tobe in identical positions as the primary reflecting screen, the leftside wall extension screen, and the right side wall extension screen,and electronically bake forced perspective images onto the virtual sidescreens; the computer programmed to digitally capture, using virtualfrontal, virtual left side and virtual right side cameras, theelectronically baked forced perspective images of the frontallyprojected visual digital media content from points of view of theprimary, forward projecting digital cinema projector, the left side walldigital cinema projector, and the right side wall digital cinemaprojector would have in the cinematic structure; and f) at least onedigital server to synchronize the primary, forward projecting digitalcinema projector, the left side wall digital cinema projector, and theright side wall digital cinema projector.
 5. The system of claim 4wherein the floor slopes downward from the rear wall to the front wallat an angle ranging from 0 to 30 degrees measured to horizontal.
 6. Thesystem of claim 4 wherein the primary, forward projecting digital cinemaprojector, the right side wall digital cinema projector, and the leftside wall digital cinema projector each transmit an image at aresolution, represented by horizontal pixel count, of at least 2K(2048×1080 or 2.2 megapixels).
 7. The system of claim 4 wherein each ofthe digital cinema projectors are selected from the group consisting ofDLP and laser cinema projectors.
 8. The system of claim 4 comprising anauxiliary right side digital projector projecting an auxiliary digitalimage onto a left side auxiliary screen separated from the left sideextension screen, and an auxiliary left side digital projectorprojecting a right side auxiliary digital image onto a right sideauxiliary screen separated from the right side extension screen.
 9. Amethod comprising: a) providing a cinematic structure comprising a rearwall, a front wall, a floor, and left and right side walls; b) providinga primary reflecting screen on the front wall, the primary reflectingscreen having a left side edge and a right side edge; c) projecting amajor portion of a primary digital image onto the primary reflectingscreen using a primary, forward projecting digital cinema projectorpositioned adjacent the rear wall; d) projecting a second digital imageusing a right side wall digital cinema projector, the second digitalimage comprising a forced perspective left side digital image extensionof the primary digital image projected onto a left side wall extensionscreen, the latter positioned with one edge adjacent the left side edgeof the primary reflecting screen; and e) projecting a third digitalimage using a left side wall digital cinema projector, the third digitalimage comprising a forced perspective right side digital image extensionof the primary digital image projected onto a right side wall extensionscreen, the latter positioned with one edge adjacent the right side edgeof the primary reflecting screen; wherein the forced perspective leftand right side digital image extensions are created using a methodcomprising digitally acquiring at least visual digital media content;creating a simulated venue using a computer model simulation of thecinematic structure and screens, and frontally projecting the visualdigital media content from a virtual center of the simulated cinematicstructure onto a virtual frontal screen, a virtual left side screen, anda virtual right side screen, the virtual screens modeled to be inidentical positions as the primary reflecting screen, the left side wallextension screen, and the right side wall extension screen, therebyelectronically baking forced perspective images onto the virtual sidescreens; digitally capturing, using virtual frontal, virtual left sideand virtual right side cameras, the electronically baked forcedperspective images of the frontally projected visual digital mediacontent from points of view of the primary forward projecting digitalcinema projector, the left side wall digital cinema projector, and theright side wall digital cinema projector would have in the cinematicstructure.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the projecting from theprimary, forward projecting digital cinema projector, the right sidewall digital cinema projector, and the left side wall digital cinemaprojector each comprises transmitting images at a resolution,represented by horizontal pixel count, of at least 2K (2048+1080 or 2.2megapixels).
 11. A system for mapping media including at least one of3-D animation, film, video, digital media or footage onto a tri-planarsurface, the system comprising: a) a structure comprising a primarylight reflecting surface and left and right extension light reflectingsurfaces positioned in abutting edge relationship to opposite verticalside edges of the primary light reflecting surface, and positioned atrespective first and second angles to the primary light reflectingsurface, the first and second angles each being greater than 90 degrees,thus forming a tri-planar surface; b) a primary, forward projectingdigital cinema projector positioned to produce a primary digital imageon the primary light reflecting surface; c) a right side digital cinemaprojector for projecting a left side digital image onto the leftextension surface light reflecting screen; and d) a left side digitalcinema projector for projecting a right side digital image onto theright extension surface light reflecting screen; wherein the primarylight reflecting surface and left and right extension light reflectingsurfaces form the tri-planar surface upon which is mapped a 3-Danimation or film footage produced by the combination of images producedby the primary, forward projecting digital cinema projector, the rightside digital cinema projector, and the left side digital cinemaprojector, and wherein the primary, left and right side digital imagesare created using a system comprising one or more digital cameras or adigital computer using a gaming engine for digitally originating atleast visual digital media content; the digital computer or a separatecomputer using a computer model simulation of the structure in which thedigital content is to be showed, the computer model simulationconfigured to virtually frontally project the visual digital mediacontent from a virtual center of the simulated structure onto a virtualfrontal screen, a virtual left side screen, and a virtual right sidescreen, the virtual screens modeled to be in identical positions as theprimary light reflecting screen, the left extension light reflectingsurface, and the right extension light reflecting surface, andelectronically bake forced perspective images onto the virtual sidescreens; the digital computer or separate computer programmed todigitally capture, using virtual frontal, virtual left side and virtualright side cameras, the electronically baked forced perspective imagesof the frontally projected visual digital media content from points ofview the primary, forward projecting digital cinema projector, the rightside digital cinema projector, and the left side digital cinemaprojector would have in the structure.
 12. The system of claim 11including a cinematic structure comprising a rear wall, a front wall, afloor, and left and right side walls, wherein the primary lightreflecting surface is a screen positioned on the front wall, the primarydigital cinema projector is positioned adjacent the rear wall, andwherein the floor slopes downward from the rear wall to the front wallat an angle ranging from 0 to 30 degrees measured to horizontal.
 13. Thesystem of claim 11 wherein the primary, forward projecting digitalcinema projector, the right side digital cinema projector, and the leftside digital cinema projector each transmit an image at a resolution,represented by horizontal pixel count, of at least 2K (2048×1080 or 2.2megapixels).
 14. The system of claim 11 wherein each of the digitalcinema projectors are selected from the group consisting of DLP andlaser cinema projectors.
 15. The system of claim 14 comprising a servercomputer configured to synchronize the primary, forward projectingdigital cinema projector, the right side digital cinema projector, andthe left side digital cinema projector, wherein the server computersupports JPEG2000 and MPEG2 files, and dual-projector 3D playback. 16.The system of claim 11 wherein the primary light reflecting surface andleft and right extension light reflecting surfaces are rectangular. 17.A method of mapping media including at least one of 3-D animation, film,video, digital media or footage onto a tri-planar surface, the methodcomprising: a) providing a structure comprising a primary lightreflecting surface and left and right extension light reflectingsurfaces positioned in abutting edge relationship to opposite verticalside edges of the primary light reflecting surface, and positioned atrespective first and second angles to the primary light reflectingsurface, the first and second angles each being greater than 90 degrees;b) projecting a primary digital image on the primary light reflectingsurface using a primary, forward projecting digital cinema projector; c)projecting a second digital image onto the left extension lightreflecting surface using a right side digital cinema projector; and d)projecting a third digital image onto the right extension lightreflecting surface using a left side digital cinema projector; therebymapping media selected from the group consisting of 3-D animation, film,video, digital media, and footage produced by the combination of imagesproduced by the primary, forward projecting digital cinema projector,the right side digital cinema projector, and the left side digitalcinema projector onto a tri-planar surface formed by the primary lightreflecting surface and left and right extension light reflectingsurfaces, wherein the primary, second and third digital images areproduced using a method comprising digitally acquiring at least visualdigital media content; creating a simulated venue using a computer modelsimulation of the structure in which the digital content is to be shown,and frontally projecting the visual digital media content from a virtualcenter of the simulated venue onto a virtual frontal screen, a virtualleft side screen, and a virtual right side screen, the virtual screensmodeled to be in identical positions as the primary light reflectingscreen, the left extension light reflecting screen, and the rightextension light reflecting screen, thereby electronically baking forcedperspective images onto the virtual side screens; digitally capturing,using virtual frontal, virtual left side and virtual right side cameras,the electronically baked forced perspective images of the frontallyprojected visual digital media content from a point of view of theprimary, forward projecting digital cinema projector, the left sidedigital cinema projector, and the right side digital cinema projectorwould have in the structure.
 18. The method of claim 17 wherein at leastone of the light reflecting surfaces is a light reflecting screen. 19.The method of claim 17 wherein at least one of the light reflectingsurfaces is a wall.
 20. The method of claim 17 wherein the primary lightreflecting surface and left and right extension light reflectingsurfaces are rectangular.